Chief Inspector Karen Stevenson, of Stoke-on-Trent South Local Policing Team, said: “Throughout this incident it was imperative to maintain the safety of the officers but also the male who was in clear distress. I would like to praise the efforts of our team who worked on this and thank the local community for their understanding while we brought this matter to a safe conclusion.

“Dealing with such a matter involves proper negotiation to ensure that no harm comes to people in distress and also the police working with the individual concerned. In this situation nobody was hurt and the man was taken to custody. He will be fully assessed so we can not only deal with the criminal matter of what went on but his own needs moving forward.”